The title of this week’s episode refers to David
Copperfield’s most well known illusion, making the Statue of Liberty disappear.
(The feat was performed April 8th, 1983.) This “magic” feat parallels the stories of
the series major characters. Phillip and
Elizabeth’s entire lives rely on carefully crafted illusions. Martha is scheduled to disappear from her
lonely life as if she never existed. Meanwhile,
Stan and the FBI chase down leads about Martha’s life and activities but are
unable to grasp her before she leaves. Paige
continues to struggle to maintain her illusion of normalcy after her “crime” of
revealing the family secret to Pastor Tim. How long can others fail to see the truth
behind the many deceptions?
Martha wakes up next to Phillip for the last time. She readies to leave, taking some time to look
deeply at her reflection. Phillip stands
behind her watching as she puts on her make-up. The trio of Gabriel, Phillip and Martha eat a
simple breakfast in silence. They leave
the safe house in the pre-dawn hours. Gabriel
accompanies them and Phillip drives them to a small airstrip hidden in the
woods. Martha looks skeptically at the
single propeller plane, which will be taking her to Cuba. Phillip gets her luggage out of the trunk, and
the “special” cargo, which is the dead rat in the jar. If the specimen didn’t need transport would
Martha have been able to leave?
Walking slowly towards the plane, Martha asks, “Don’t be
alone, Clark, all right?” Tears fill her eyes; ignorant to the fact Phillip is
married with children, makes her request especially heartbreaking. Phillip replies, “You too.” Martha says sarcastically, “Yeah, I’ll just
learn Russian…” then she drops off and adds finally, “Yeah, me too.” Phillip and Martha kiss goodbye. Phillip fights back tears of his own as she
boards the plane and looks out at him through the small window. As the plane takes off into the darkness,
Phillip exhales and goes to join Gabriel for the long ride home. Given the intensity of his feelings for
Martha, would Phillip preferred if she had died instead of being condemned to a
life of loneliness? As we saw with Nina,
her transfer to Moscow might still be a death sentence especially if she
continues to threaten to talk.
Paige and Elizabeth prepare breakfast as Henry talks
excitedly about the David Copperfield’s planned stunt with the Statue of
Liberty. Phillip returns home and
informs his family they have “lost a big client” which will mean he will spend
more time at home. Fortunately, the only
person they have to fool with this story is Henry who somehow thinks “travel
agents” need to spend several nights away from home a week!
The FBI vault buzzes with activity. An agent informs Stan they have lifted a
fingerprint from “Clark.” Dennis
exclaims he never saw a “God damn thing” even when he took her on a date. Stan consuls his friend, “She was good, she
lied to my face.”
Elizabeth comes home and asks Phillip where the kids are. Paige is with Pastor Tim. Elizabeth asks how
it went with Martha. Phillip only will
say, “Fine, they made it as good as they could.” Phillip continues to read his “EST” book and
Elizabeth asks him if he finds it helpful. Phillip notes it’s made him realize things
about himself, like he wants to resume playing hockey. Elizabeth isn’t impressed with his answer; she
removes her hidden pack of cigarettes and leaves to smoke.
Elizabeth calls Young Hee from a payphone and the two arrange
to meet at the movies. Afterwards, Young
Hee notes she caught Elizabeth crying at the end of the movie. Young Hee confesses to crying at everything. The women fix their make-up in the bathroom. Elizabeth confesses she doesn’t go to the
movies often because it doesn’t feel like a “useful” activity. Young Hee quotes Mary Kay’s advice to agents,
which is to “take care of yourself.” Young
Hee admits she feels bad about “mixing business with friendship” in regards to
selling cosmetics. (Little does she know Elizabeth is using her for a far more
sinister business then selling cosmetics.) In a moment of playful rebellion, the women
duck into another movie without paying, “The Outsiders.”
Phillip visits a cemetery in disguise. He lays flowers at a grave near Eugene’s. It appears the death of the young man still
weighs on him heavily, especially after Martha’s departure.
Stan comes over to “borrow” some beer from Phillip. Stan quickly chugs the bottle of Miller High
Life. Philip admits he doesn’t know where
Elizabeth is at the moment. Stan reveals his papers have come through
making his divorce from Sandra official. Phillip advises Stan to keep his chin
up, noting he has joint custody of his son and a girlfriend. Stan admits that he and Tori are “more off
then on.” Stan apologizes for his
rambling, stating there has been a “disaster” at work and he hasn’t been
sleeping. He adds cryptically, “If what
we think happened, happened, there will not be enough beer in the world!” Phillip offers his neighbor the rest of the
six-pack of beer. Elizabeth arrives and
politely invites Stan to dinner, which he declines and leaves.
Elizabeth asks Phillip about Stan’s visit. Phillip says, “Turns out they were on to her.
We didn’t pull her for nothing.”
Elizabeth acknowledges her husband was right and describes Martha as a
“nice woman, simple.” Phillip rejects the idea that Martha was simple and
states people often underestimated her.
Phillip feels she was actually a very complicated person. Henry returns home and the conversation
devolves into what’s for supper.
Phillip goes to meet Gabriel at an Irish bar. Phillip hands the old man a recording device
from Kimmy’s father. (Kimmy is the young woman Phillip seduced last season, it
appears he has continued to see her to gain information about the Afghan war.) Gabriel informs Phillip his oldest son has
returned home from the war, and the intelligence he gathered might have helped
him survive. Phillip asks whether his
son “has anyone”; the old man tells him he has his “father” in Moscow. Phillip states he wants to reach out to
Martha’s parents to assure them she is alive. Gabriel urges him to follow protocol, which
would be to wait six months. Phillip
pushes and Gabriel thinks he could maybe speed up the process by a few months. Phillip has another request that her parents
be allowed to visit her in another country in a few years.
Gabriel puts his foot down on that request, noting the
Centre would never allow it. However, Elizabeth did manage to meet her mother
so Phillip knows such arrangements are possible. It is likely the Centre has no intention of
further assisting the American spy, beyond allowing her to live.
An EST meeting is being conducted. The leader speaks about how we imprison
ourselves. Elizabeth has attended the
seminar alone. The man continues his
speech noting if we were free from our self imposed prison, we would not know
how to handle that freedom. Elizabeth is
imprisoned by her own fanatical allegiance to the communist cause, without
which her life wouldn’t have meaning or structure. But will Elizabeth be capable of
“self-awareness” like Phillip?
At the Soviet Embassy, Oleg informs Tatiana that Martha
arrived in Cuba that afternoon. Tatiana
continues filing papers, obviously preoccupied by other concerns. Oleg suggests she take a vacation but then
realizes something’s wrong. Tatiana confides that her brother was called up for
duty in Afghanistan. She realizes he is
the last person she should be complaining to, given his recent loss of his
brother to the conflict. Oleg reaches
out to hold her hand.
Elizabeth returns home, Phillip informs her Paige is at
Bible study and Henry is at Matthew’s. Elizabeth
tells him she went to EST. Phillip seems
surprised and asks if she liked it. Elizabeth
observes she can see why HE likes it, speaking about things, which are hard to
talk about in an honest way. Phillip
smiles and asks, “But?” Elizabeth criticizes the program’s objective to profit
from the seminars. She notes how their
goal is to get participants to sign up for more seminars and deems the whole
scheme as “very American.” Phillip
naturally becomes defensive and states he gets a lot out of the program. Elizabeth counters with how little he eats and
sleeps lately. Phillip explains his
stress is due to Martha, but Elizabeth is anything but sympathetic. “It happens, we lose agents! At least she’s alive!” Elizabeth alludes to Gregory’s brutal death in
the streets. Phillip knows Elizabeth
loved the jazz musician and this jab stings. Elizabeth continues on the offensive by
bringing up Phillip’s eldest son he had with a former lover. The ring of the telephone ends their argument.
The couple arrives at Gabriel’s house. He informs them Martha arrived in Cuba.
Elizabeth has received an emergency signal from Lisa, the employee at the
Northrup plant. Gabriel notices the
tension between the couple and inquires about it. Phillip tells the old man he’s been going to
EST. Gabriel has nearly the same
reaction as Elizabeth, and asks Phillip why. Phillip can’t believe they don’t understand.
Elizabeth adds pointedly, “He needs a group of strangers sitting in a hotel
conference room to listen to him.” Phillip
leaves, angered. Gabriel asks Elizabeth
if she wants to further discuss their argument and in true Russian fashion, she
declines. Gabriel complains of being
tired and excuses himself to go take a nap. Both Gabriel and Elizabeth believe
in the old world method of bottling up one’s emotions.
Paige comes home after school. Elizabeth demands to know why she’s not at
Bible study. Paige shrugs it off,
stating she went last week and doesn’t feel like going. Elizabeth speaks to her
daughter as if she were already an agent, chiding her for not maintaining
contact with Pastor Tim. Paige replies
she’s just not in the mood. Elizabeth’s tone turns murderous, “You get yourself
in the mood! We have tried to forgive you for what you’ve done. You need to control what you do, Bible study, and
Sunday services and volunteering for whatever shit they need you to do! You will come back from these activities and
tell us everything. Thanks to what YOU
DID, that’s all that’s keeping this family from being DESTROYED!” Paige is truly frightened by her mother’s
words and threats. It’s clear that
Elizabeth cares about the “cause” more then she cares about her own
daughter. Paige has no choice but to
obey her mother.
Stan runs into Gaad as he waits for the elevator. Gaad explains he’s been summoned to the
director’s office. (The fear is he will be fired over Martha.) Stan tries to
cheer him with an anecdote about an agent summoned to see the director to show
a visiting dignitary his stamp collection.
Gaad states coldly, “I don’t collect stamps.”
Claudia and Gabriel meet. He complains, “They’re children!” He is upset the Jennings are airing their “dirty
laundry” in his presence. Gabriel notes
that he had to do much worse things during the Stalin era. He complains the couple no longer listens to
him. Claudia isn’t emphatic to the old
man’s complaints. Gabriel notes things
seem to get worse everyday. Claudia
blames the world that they live in and notes there are no answers.
Elizabeth visits a drunk and disheveled Lisa. She confides that Maurice and her both started
drinking again. He left with a mistress
for Florida three weeks ago. Elizabeth
tries to encourage Lisa to go to an AA meeting. (Interesting how she can pretend to follow the
AA credo but has no use for self-awareness in her personal life. She is the
consummate actress.) Lisa states her
kids are staying with he sister and she has decided she needs to “come clean”
and tell the police about what she and “Jack” were doing. Lisa encourages Elizabeth to come with her,
hoping the authorities will grant them immunity for their story. Elizabeth tries to discourage her from going
to the police, urging her again to get help with her drinking. Lisa decides she can go alone to speak to the
police, confident they won’t take her children. Elizabeth smashes a bottle on Lisa’s head,
shattering it. Broken bottle in hand,
she approaches the woman on the floor.
Gabriel offers Phillip a cup of tea or a game of Scrabble
but the younger man refuses. Elizabeth arrives from her meeting with Lisa; she
is bleeding from her neck. Phillip goes
to get the first aid kit. Elizabeth
explains, “Lisa’s gone too.” Phillip
tends to her and Gabriel looks at the couple and sighs deeply. “Things have to change. I’ll talk to the Centre;
get them to ease up on you. Keep the Breeland bug (Kimmy’s father) and Young Hee. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to a
vacation.”
In the car on the way home Phillip notes, “I guess we’re
going to be travel agents now.” Elizabeth suggests they take the family for
vacation to Epcot.
At home, Henry chats about David Copperfield’s live
broadcast of the “disappearing” of the Statue of Liberty. The family watches the television together. The trick is performed and the monument seems
to vanish. Copperfield gives an
interview explaining how his mother was an immigrant who came through Ellis
Island. He wanted to demonstrate how we take our freedom for granted. Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty
reappear to everyone’s amazement, even the Jennings.
The timeline advances seven months. There is a montage of the family enjoying more
time together. Phillip plays street
hockey with Henry. Paige goes to
mini-golf with Pastor Tim and Alice.
Stan entertains his ex-boss Gaad, who plans to travel with his Vietnamese
wife to see her family in Thailand. Gaad
inquires about the new boss. Stan
complains he’s more concerned about appearances then intelligence. Gaad
jokingly asks if they still allow pens in the office. Elizabeth and Phillip wave enthusiastically to
Pastor Tim and Alice as they drop Paige back home. Gaad asks Stan if he thinks Oleg could still
be turned. It seems that Stan is still
in charge of the operation to find “Clark.” Gaad cautions Stan not to let his conscience
or Nina get in the way of using Oleg to complete his objectives. Elizabeth and Phillip get their “report” from
Paige. She tells them Pastor Tim and
Alice were in good spirits and Alice can feel her unborn baby move. Paige storms off to her room miserable, but
Elizabeth is satisfied by her daughter’s budding agent skills. Gaad continues his speech to Stan, “Despite
friendship or sympathy, you can’t lose sight of who these people are.” The episodes
ends with the Jennings smiling and waving, acting so normal but are anything
but.
Next week looks at why the Centre has granted the spy couple
a “vacation.” Elizabeth becomes ill and suspects the Centre maybe poisoning them
to get rid of them. Does that mean the
whole family must die? Will Pastor Tim
and Alice finally be murdered or will it matter anymore if Phillip and
Elizabeth are dead? As Gaad cautions,
the KGB is capable of practically anything, especially to preserve it’s own
secrets.
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